Burning Shadows
by Ashigara's Wolf
Summary: Tenryuu hadn't though much of the things she'd seen months ago for a long time. The fire and darkness she'd seen she'd passed off as her being overworked/stressed/tired. After a routine patrol turns up new faces, and new symptoms, she has rethink the explanations she'd given herself. (Sequel to "Missing") (I don't own Kantai Collection of any of its related fanworks)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tenryuu frowned. She hated being sent out on something as boring as a simple night patrol. She loved the night and fighting in the dark, but the night patrols were so bloody boring. Tenryuu could count on one hand the number of times she had actually done something meaningful while on these missions.

She turned to her sister Tatsuta, who was fighting a yawn herself. As she looked around the others under her command for that night—Sendai, Hibiki, Fubuki, Hatsuzuki, and Mutsuki—she knew that, at the very least, they would be guaranteed some rest once they returned. Tenryuu paused, then laughed to herself. Who was she kidding? Even though Mutsu was now in charge and things had settled down since last year's craziness, there was still almost never a chance for true relaxation, especially for her.

The night had been quite uneventful, but the weather earlier tonight had been a bit hairy. A small squall had blown through, and a heavy fog had kept the moon well hidden. The temperature, which was usually in the mid to upper seventies, had dropped to the upper sixties. While the freak weather had blown through in less than an hour, it had made the entire fleet nervous. The fog and slightly choppy seas had persisted, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After several more uneventful hours, Tenryuu was seriously beginning to question why she and her fleet had been assigned night patrols in the first place. There was virtually never any action and the only thing that kept her awake was the fact that it was nighttime. Tenryuu was always more awake at night, but this was getting ridiculous. As the sun began to faintly light up the horizon, Tenryuu yawned once again, shook her head with a frown, then turned to her fleet.

"Alright, I'm gonna make one last sweep around here, then we can head in for the day." Weak cheers followed her announcement, and Tenryuu forced a smile before breaking off. As she made her last turn to rejoin formation, a faint crackle came through her headpiece. Frowning, Tenryuu pressed it against her ear, listening closer.

A badly distorted voice that could have belonged to just about anyone came through, and Tenryuu knew this required the attention of the entire fleet. As she continued to listen, she realised that whoever was making the call was broadcasting automatically, so she would be able to pick the message up again once she'd had explained everything.

Hurrying over to the others, she explained what she was hearing. "I'm picking up a faint distress signal. I want all of you to fan out in a circle and see if you can pinpoint the heading. Make it quick; that voice didn't sound very good!" Everyone nodded and fanned out. After a few minutes of worried searching, Sendai gave a shout, and waved Tenryuu over. In response to Tenryuu's questioning look, Sendai nodded once, before pulling her headset off and looking Tenryuu in the eyes.

"I've got it. Bearing 095 relative. Distance unknown." Sighing, she looked out over her right shoulder towards the east. "I think we should at least head in that direction. It should get stronger as we get closer ." Sendai looked up hopefully. Tenryuu nodded.

Turning to those with her, she told Sendai to inform Mutsu of what was going on, while ordering the rest of the fleet back into formation. As the fleet sped east, Tenryuu kept close to Sendai, constantly checking the position and distance they had left. "Sendai, inform Mutsu of what's going on. Tatsuta, be ready to deal with possible wounded."

Tenryuu kept her eyes focused on the horizon, on the heading which Sendai had said she was tracking the distress call. The choppy seas and bad clouds only made seeing anything that resembled a shipgirl that much harder, and Tenryuu was relying on her destroyer screen just as much as she relied on Sendai's tracking the message. After nearly an hour or running at flank speed, the destroyers were getting tired.

"We're getting close," Sendai called. "I think there's something unusual out in front. About five miles out." She pointed with one of her torpedoes. Tenryuu followed the direction that Sendai indicated and spotted what looked like the crumpled form of two or three people huddled in a group on the water's surface.

"Still getting the same message?" Tenryuu asked. Sendai nodded. "Well than then, I'd assume this is who we're looking for."

As the fleet drew close, Tenryuu could make out the form of at least three, maybe four small girls huddled in a clump, watching the fleet approach. As they drew closer, Tenryuu could make out the girls waiting for them. She recognised none. From what she could tell, one of the girls had pink hair, but the others were a mystery. One did appear to be holding something, but Tenryuu couldn't make out what it was. The rest of the destroyers gathered around, but then everyone had to wait as the sun crested the horizon.

The small pink-haired girl didn't flinch when the sun hit her square in the eyes, and her friend who was holding her pursed her lips sadly. She tucked d a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear, and shifted her friend on her arm. Only then did Tenryuu notice a flash of movement to her left. She noticed another girl, this one slightly older, with long pale white hair done up in a long braid. She'd had managed to keep out of line of sight until just now. Shakily, she made her way towards Tenryuu and Tatsuta, who wordlessly herded the destroyers behind them. The newcomer was bigger and carried more powerful weapons then either of the two Japanese cruisers. The mystery girl tossed her braid over her shoulder and pointed her saber at Tenryuu and her sister. Despite her obvious wounds, she never wavered or blinked. Only when the sun caught her eyes was she forced to briefly turn aside, but immediately turned her attention back to the two cruisers.

Giving her sabre a small flick, she gestured towards Tenryuu and Tatsuta. "Identify yourselves."

Tenryuu shivered hearing her speak. She had expected a deeper voice, rather than a soft-spoken, quiet whisper. She did, however, catch the underlying tone of threat and slight anger, with a hint of fear. "R-right. Light Cruiser Tenryuu. Out of Yokosuka."

Tatsuta nodded. "Light Cruiser Tatsuta, also from Yokosuka Naval District."

The unknown cruiser's eyes widened, and she lowered her sword, arm trembling. "I-l see. That's news to me. I had my suspicions but…" Her voice trailed off. The two looked at her, confused. "I'll explain later."

"That's fine. Let's get you five some first aid now, then worry about that later,"

"Thank you, Tenryuu." The blonde said softly. She paused. "Sorry I'm being rude." She wiped her hand on her tattered uniform shirt and extended it to to Tenryuu. "Heavy Cruiser Northampton, out of Pearl Harbor."

 **A/N: For those of you wondering, yes the US SG's are from Pacific. For those who don't know what Pacific is, google "Kancolle Pacific" and check the TV tropes pages**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I didn't know that there was an American shipgirl base anywhere. So this is just as new to me as it was for you." Tenryuu turned to her sister, who said nothing but nodded her agreement. Northampton sighed. As Tenryuu looked her over more closely, she could see that the older girl had taken much more damage than had first been apparent. The morning light reflecting off the now calm water highlighted the many scorch marks and tears in Northampton's skirt, and her face was covered in black soot. Her once blonde, almost white hair had turned a light grey, and her eyes were sunken. Looking over the rest of Northampton's fleet, Tenryuu realized they all shared similar wounds, with the pink haired girl the worst off. She had a bad feeling about Northampton.

"Ahh," Northampton tried to hide the small wince of pain, but Hatsuzuki noticed and moved over to her

"What's hurting?" She put a hand on Northampton's forehead, and winced herself. Looking over to Tenryuu, she spoke, "Northampton's got a pretty bad fever. Should probably get her looked at ASAP."

"Yeah, alright," Tenryuu said quickly. "We should probably bring the whole lot of them back to Yokosuka for treatment. These look pretty severe."

Northampton looked up in surprise. "Is that OK with your commander? We are foreign girls…" She looked at the other girls under her care. Knowing they were in very bad shape, however, made her think fast. "But I do think the destroyers need attention. Mahan especially. She's been out for nearly seven hours now."

Tenryuu's face became grim. She knew Mutsu would offer help to any damaged shipgirl that needed it, but bringing a fleet of American shipgirls to a Japanese district? One didn't have to be Isoroku Yamamoto to know that that was a bad idea. None of it mattered to Tenryuu at this point. She was in charge, and she would decide to help Northampton's fleet out regardless. "Sendai, get ahold of Mutsu. Inform her of our situation, and who we're bringing back. I won't leave anyone out here to die, no matter where they're from."

Sendai nodded. "Naka would be proud of you. I'm on it."

Satisfied, Tenryuu turned back to Northampton. "So let's get you five moving. Can all of you move, besides Mahan?"

Northampton nodded. "I'm fine, and although Shaw's been holding Mahan up for seven hours, I think she'll be alright, even though she may need to rest at some point. O'Bannon is mostly fine, as is Maury. But we need to hurry."

Tenryuu turned to the destroyers with her and had them assist the American girls with both their equipment and physical support. Everything went smoothly until Hatsuzuki went to help O'Bannon, who was staring off into the distance with no indication that she was aware of Hatsuzuki's presence. As Hatsuzuki guided O'Bannon back to the fleet, she noticed the girl had something in her hand. Confused and not willing to risk possible confrontation with the girl, Hatsuzuki looked to Northampton for help.

"Oh. Right. I should have known. O'Bannon has this obsession with potatoes. She carries them everywhere. It's fine, just guide her along. She'll be fine-"

"Mahan's not breathing!" Hibiki shouted, immediately drawing all attention to herself. Northampton was beside her in an instant, shoving Hibiki aside and gently pulling Mahan out of Shaw's arms. The small brunette made no move to stop her, only standing with a hollow look in her eyes.

Northampton turned to Tenryuu with near panic in her eyes. "Get us to your place now. Now!" Although she was yelling, Tenryuu knew it wasn't out of frustration, only sadness and fright. Wordlessly, she nodded.

"Alright guys, let's move. Sendai, let Mutsu know that we're bringing wounded back, and have her find Akashi. Flank speed."

Wordlessly, the eleven girls formed a single column and tore west, back towards home. Nearly an hour and a half later, Tenryuu hurried down to the docks, where the others were still waiting while Akashi did her best to keep Mahan alive. Thanks to Sendai's message and Mutsu's willingness to help, the questions and potential problems that could have cropped up hadn't, much to Tenryuu's relief. Once Mahan's condition had become known, everything else went on the back burner while Akashi was found and a dock was prepared. Despite their own wounds and the sensitive nature of Akashi's work, none of Northampton's fleet had left her side. Shaw, who Tenryuu found out was her older sister, hadn't said a word since Tenryuu's fleet had found her. Now Tenryuu hurried back to join the others, worried as to what she may find.

She still hadn't prepared herself enough. Right as she turned down the hall towards the dock where Mahan was, a loud wail came from the room, and Tenryuu's heart stopped. Rushing through the door, she found Shaw in a heap on her sister's bed, wailing in anguish. She clung to Mahan's hand, and her shoulders heaved with sobs. Tenryuu took in Akashi's pale, blank face, and the rest of the American fleet in a group hug, every one of them crying. She leaned against the doorframe, buried her face in her hands, and let the tears come.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shaw wasn't seen for the rest of the day. Akashi had waited for Northampton and the other destroyers to cry themselves out before walking over to the blonde and putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to say anything; they all knew from her expression and actions that she had done her very best, but Mahan had already been too far gone. Akashi grimaced, before standing and headed down to file a report and pass it on to Mutsu.

Northampton turned to Akashi, standing as did. She wiped her eyes and forced a slight smile. "It's alright, dear. You did your best. That's all we could ask of anyone." Akashi forced a smile herself. She had always been able to put on a friendly, happy face regardless of the circumstances, but she was still fighting tears. Akashi had never met Mahan, and she knew nothing of her personality, but it was obvious how much the Americans cared about her. That told her enough.

Akashi squeezed Northampton's shoulder. "I've gotta head down to check with Mutsu and file this whole mess. If you are feeling up to it, you can come down with me and I'll introduce Mutsu to you, and you can see to housing and all that until we figure out what we're gonna do to get you back home."

Northampton nodded. "Well, it'll do us no good to just around and weep. Bookish and slightly geeky she may have been, but Mahan wouldn't have wanted us to do nothing but cry." Her voice took on an edge of determination and the usual melancholy in her voice began to wane. Akashi nodded. She gave Northampton's shoulder one more squeeze and turned towards the door. Northampton hurried over to O'Bannon and Maury. After a few brief words from Northampton and still none from either of the destroyers, the blonde cruiser joined Akashi, and the pair headed towards Mutsu's office, hoping to figure a few things out.

The first thing that struck Northampton about Mutsu's office was the clutter, or more specifically, the _lack_ of clutter. All of the paper on the desks were in neat piles of labeled folders, and the bookshelves were neat and tidy. The floor was swept, and although there wasn't a huge amount of light, the room still seemed open and inviting. Northampton thought about Pearl, and about New Jersey's office there. Jer was nice, if somewhat hard to get close to right away. She'd go out of her way to make sure no one was left out and would do her best to accommodate everyone as best as possible. Jersey could not, however, keep a room organised for more than a week for the life of her. She figured Mutsu could teach Jersey a thing or two about keeping an office neat.

As Akashi ushered Northampton into the office, the strong smell of coffee and cookies met her nose. Despite the circumstances, Northampton closed her eyes for a moment and sighed in happiness. A prod in the back from Akashi pulled her back to reality. "We're here to see Mutsu right now, not bask in good smells, eh?" She winked. "I think Mutsu has something you'll want to hear."

Northampton perked up. "Alright then. Following you." She allowed Akashi to lead her away. "It's just been so long since I smelled that stuff."

Akashi looked over, mildly surprised. "How long?" She seemed a bit cautious when asking, as if she was expecting something bad.

Northampton didn't say anything for a moment. " I will only be able to tell this story once, so I'm gonna wait for your commander to be present. I'm sorry."

"That's alright dear." Akashi said softly. Mutsu's office is right around the corner. I can wait that long to know." Mutsu greeted the pair warmly, if a bit quickly, before ushering them both into chairs across from her. Another girl appeared from the kitchen, with two cups in her hands. "You drink coffee, right Miss?"

Northampton looked up at the tall brunette in confusion. "Uh, yeah I do. My name's Northampton by the way. Thanks…?" She took the cup and took a long shot of it without missing a beat or waiting for the older girl to answer.

Nagato looked mildly surprised. "Nagato. You take it straight black. Noted." She stretched her back before taking a seat beside her sister. "When was the last time you had a cup of coffee, may I ask?"

"Week and a half," Northampton sighed wearily. All three girls' eyes widened in shock. "I had a few cups and a piece of cake before we left on that scouting mission. It wasn't supposed to be that long. Then, ya know, _this_ happened." She gestured back towards the docks, where Mahan had gone down. "Now we're here. And I have no damn clue as to what's going on." Northampton heaved a sigh. Mutsu frowned. Before she could say anything, Northampton went on. "The worst part is that I have no idea what happened to us. One minute we're fine. The next, it's chaos, then, it's calm as ever and Mahan's down. I'm supposed to be the commander, leader, friend. And I failed. The destroyers look to me for help and guidance, and I don't have answers. I don't know how to lead them now. They're all scared, I'm scared, and I'm worried they'll be hesitant to follow my lead anymore now. I wouldn't blame them." Northampton squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep from crying. After a moment, she shook her head and looked up at Mutsu, trying to clear her thoughts.

"I think there's something you should hear." Mutsu stood, grabbing her phone off her desk as she did so. Northampton's eyes widened. "It may help explain what happened to your fleet." Northampton sat bolt upright at that, all thoughts of exhaustion gone. Mutsu tapped on her phone a few times. It rang for a few seconds before someone answered. "Tenryuu. She's ready to hear what you have to say."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Northampton's eyes widened. "Tenryuu? Isn't she the one who helped us last night?"

Nagato nodded. "Yes she is. She had a few encounters last year that you may be able to relate to, or at least help us understand." She paused, and leaned in. "Cuz between you and me, even Tenryuu doesn't know exactly what she was looking at."

Before Northampton could respond, the door behind her opened, and Tenryuu made her way into the office amid a gust of wind. Shaking her head to get rid of the leaves, Tenryuu blinked a few times and tried to orient herself. "Oh, Northampton. Hey. What's up?"

I heard you had something that l would be interested in hearing." Northampton said, standing to greet her friend. Tenryuu said nothing, only nodding. Smiling in an attempt to keep her spirits up, Northampton walked over towards the door. She beckoned for Tenryuu to follow her. "Wanna walk with me while we discuss this?"

"Fine by me," Tenryuu said. "That alright with you?"

Mutsu nodded. "That's fine. You two take your time."

As the pair left, Northampton couldn't help but notice how much the weather had changed since she'd entered Mutsu's office. "Bit of a weather change since I came in eh?"

Tenryuu nodded. She still hadn't said much, which Northampton confused. Usually Tenryuu was the outgoing and boisterous one, right? Northampton sighed. Now that she was away from the buildings and headed towards the woods again, she realised how pronounced the weather change truly was. When she had come down to see Mutsu with Akashi, the sun had been out and a light breeze had kept the bugs away. The sky had been as clear as Northampton had ever seen it with almost no clouds in the sky, and everything seemed peaceful. As if someone had thrown a switch, however, the weather had gotten worse. It wasn't dangerous, but the sudden and drastic change did make Northampton uneasy.

Tenryuu motioned for Northampton to follow her into the woods, taking a path she obviously knew well by how fast she moved. Confused, Northampton couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, but she couldn't figure out why. As Tenryuu led her further into the woods, everything seemed to get gloomier and gloomier. Before she could think of anything else, Tenryuu stopped, and Northampton only barely avoided running into her.

"What's up Tenryuu?" The blonde asked softly, blinking in the darkness.

"This," Tenryuu said softly, walking over to a blackened tree. She ran a hand over the bark, and Northampton realised how shaky Tenryuu's voice had become. "This is where something happened to me last year." As if on cue, a flash of lightning caught the two, followed momentarily by a clap of thunder.

In spite of her growing nervousness, Northampton forced a laugh. "What is this, some b-grade movie?"

"No, I have a feeling it's more than that," Tenryuu's voice became small. She looked genuinely scared, and _that_ scared Northampton. Tenryuu had been so confident, almost suave, when she'd found Northampton's fleet the day before. Now a simple blackened tree and thunderstorm had her all but shaking in fright.

"Care to explain, Tenryuu?" Northampton walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't know the purple-haired girl for more than a few hours, but since she'd helped rescue Northampton's fleet, Northampton had felt a sort of kinship towards her. Tenryuu said nothing at first. Her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened.

Tenryuu sighed, then pulled Northampton over to a fallen tree that she could use as a seat. "I will explain, since you said you had dealt with something that seemed similar." She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, before turned to the blonde. "You know how I usually am at night, right?" Northampton nodded. "Well, one night, about a year and a half ago, I don't remember exactly, I had gone out for a walk at night, to calm my nerves. I'd had a long day. I'm walking down through the woods, not far from here, and as I'm walking, I get the feeling that the shadows that day were opposing me, and it got windy. There was no wind that day. But it seemed like the darkness itself was against me. I just don't get it. Even today, over a year later, I still don't know where that feeling or mindset came from."

Tenryuu paused, and clenched her fists. Northampton squeezed her shoulder. "That's awful. I don't know-that seems all backwards to me too."

"Exactly, and that's not the worst of it." Tenryuu's voice wavered, but she kept going. "About 1 year ago, 2 months or so after the first incident, it happened again, but this one was more intense. I couldn't sleep that night. I don't remember why. So I went for a walk again. Needed to get fresh air and calm myself. So I walked back to these woods again." She paused, turning to Northampton, giving her a shaky laugh. "Now that I say it, it sounds so stupid. But I realised how dense this fog was. Real dense fog all of a sudden. But I drew my sword anyway, just to be safe. So I'm walking though this real dense fog, trying to figure out where it's coming from, and I notice this one path that's split off the others, and it's clear of fog. Like an idiot, I start walking down this path, and as I reach a clearing in the woods, there's this black cloud sitting in the middle of the clearing. As I look closer, I can see the clouds are moving, and there's a fire or some sort of orange light emitting from the cloud."

"Wait, you said a fire of some sort from the cloud?" Northampton cut in frantically.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Tenryuu looked over, confused.

"Cuz when we were ran into whatever it was when we were on patrol, the Abyssals seemed to have a sort of fire coming from their eyes, and whenever they fired at us, there was no muzzle flash. It was just a black cloud.' She shuddered at the thought. "It looked so strange. I've seen some strange things before, but this was all new."

Tenryuu's face was pale. She shot a glance at Northampton. The American blonde's face was as white as her hair. "Did we both run into the same abomination?"

"I have no idea. But I fear there's some sort of connection. I have one question though."

Northampton nodded. "Whatcha got?"

"Did any of your fleet touch any of those Abyssals?"

"Mahan and I did." Northampton said sadly, thinking of the pink-haired destroyer she had lost that morning. "We'd gotten close enough to attempt to deal with them in hand-to-hand combat. Mahan had tried to jump the thing, and I was gonna tackle its legs." Her voice faltered. "It didn't work, obviously. As soon as she grabbed its neck, she screamed, or tried to, but her voice didn't work. I managed to wound it with my sabre in the meantime, but Mahan had fallen off while I was busy. Shaw and Maury had gotten to her first, and although she didn't seem to have any physical wounds, I could tell that she was on borrowed time. She was pale as heck, and the light was gone from her eyes." She paused, taking a breath. "They were such a rich brown, you know?" Northampton's eyes were wet, and Tenryuu gently eased her over to a fallen tree, and sat down while sliding an arm around the American cruiser's shoulders.

"I get it." She squeezed her friend's shoulder. Northampton said nothing, only clenching her fist and squeezing her eyes shut. "We'll figure this out, alright"? Northampton nodded, but she couldn't bring herself to smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So you're thinking that whatever went after Northampton's fleet was the same thing that you saw last year in the woods?"

Tenryuu nodded, tight-lipped. Although she was physically fine after all these months, the memories were fresh as ever. Although she hadd held herself together for Northampton's sake, the thought that whatever had found her in the woods was still around and active frightened her to no end. Now she sat with the blonde and tried to explain again to Mutsu what she had seen and what Northampton had experienced.

"I-l see. That's, uh, disturbing to say the least." Mutsu sighed, beckoning for the two to lean forward. Her voice became grave. "And life-threatening at the worse. We've already seen this." Nagato entered, bearing drinks and snacks. She took in the taut faces of the two cruisers, wordlessly set the food in front of them and left, leaving Mutsu to talk with them.

Northampton frowned. "Since this is something that you have also experienced before, I really would appreciate it if you could put me in touch with Pearl, so I can let Jer know I'm still alive, as well as fill her in on Mahan and my conversation with Tenryuu."

Tenryuu and Mutsu looked at each other and nodded. "Now that you mention it, we should have let you contact them right away. I guess everyone was so caught up with Mahan and then Tenryuu explaining her own encounter, so I guess it slipped my mind as well." Mutsu yawned, stretched, and stood. "How about you go find Shaw and the others so they can speak to your commander if they wish to do so as well. When you come back, we'll be able to connect you."

Northampton nodded. She stood and headed out to find her destroyers. Tenryuu rose with her. Upon seeing Northampton's confused glance, she simply stated that Tatsuta had offered to care for Shaw after seeing how upset she was, and the others had tagged along. Mutsu waved Northampton off and turned to talk to Nagato. Satisfied, Northampton walked out with Tenryuu, and Mutsu noticed a small smile on the blonde's face. It was the first smile she had ever seen from the American, and she was glad that Northampton was smiling again.

"Hey Tenryuu?"

The cruiser turned. "Yeah North, what's up?"

Northampton smiled a bit at the nickname. "What do you guys do for fun? It seems like there's a lot of downtime here."

Tenryuu's eyes lit up. "Oh, you have no idea. A while back, we were gifted a whole bunch of tech gear from some friends. Computers and TV's and phones and the like."

Northampton's eyes widened. She let out a low whistle.

Tenryuu grinned "Yeah, it was awesome. So basically everyone got a free computer and phone, and most of the dorms have at least one TV in them. And it was a great way for everyone to relax and let off steam. Then Sendai finds this game called World of Warships and-"

"Wait, you play WoWS too?" Northampton squealed. Tenryuu was taken slightly aback by the outburst from the usually reserved blonde.

"Yes, I do." Tenryuu yawned. "Frankly most of the base does, to be honest."

As the two approached Tenryuu's and Tatsuta's dorm, Northampton could hear Tatsuta, Maury and Shaw laughing from inside. She blinked, and hurried up the stairs to check on her destroyers. "Hey you two," she called, before noticing what the two were laughing at. Maury had pulled up Northampton's World of Warships stats, as well as one of her replay's she'd uploaded. Tatsuta was laughing, and she had her phone in her hand. Was that the camera? Northampton paled. She let out a squeak, and pushed Tatsuta's computer around so she could see better, and to her surprise, the stats on the screen were Shaw's.

"Northampton?" Shaw turned to face her friend, still wiping tears from her eyes. "What's up?"

Still trying to make sense of the situation, Northampton found her voice. "What the heck is going on here? What are you showing Tatsuta?"

"Just some replays I had from WoWS Replays. Turns out the majority of the girls here play WoWS as well." While Shaw sounded sincere, there was a glint of mischief in her eyes.

Shaking her head, Northampton cuffed Shaw lightly on the side of the head before addressing the other destroyers, who were also still smiling. "Hey, it turns out that Mutsu is getting in contact with Jer, and we'll be able to explain what's happened over the past few days." Registering their shocked faces, Northampton smiled, before turning to Tatsuta. "If you wanna join us, it may help when we speak to Jer."

Smiling herself, Tatsuta nodded. "Sure, I'll join you. Although I must ask-who exactly is 'Jer'?"

O'Bannon smirked, took a bite of her potato, and faced Tatsuta. "Jer is a nickname we gave New Jersey. She's our commander, like Mutsu is your's."

Tatsuta nodded, while giving O'Bannon a strange look. "Alright. I must ask one other question-what's with you and all the potatoes?"

The other American girls let out a collective chuckle, but said nothing. Taking another bite of her raw potato, O'Bannon smiled, only saying, "That's a story for another time. I'll tell you later, alright?"

Still slightly confused, Tatsuta nodded. "Well, let's not keep Jer waiting, eh?" Without saying anything else, she turned and headed out, holding the door for the others, who were both worried and eager to speak to New Jersey again.

 _She doesn't know about Mahan...and_ she _was lost on my watch...I hope Jer's not too upset._ Northampton sighed, but she knew it would end up this way sooner or later. Better to take the bull by the horns.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As the group entered Mutsu's office, another surprise met their eyes. While Northampton had expected something along the lines of radio communication, Mutsu had gone one further and arranged a Skype video call.

"...Yeah they just came in. Give me a moment to fill them in."

"Alright. Try to hurry. I have some things I need to discuss with them," Jer said quickly, and Northampton shivered slightly. She wasn't at odds with Jer, the girl was just a hard one to please, and could be a bit rough around the edges. Her idea of hard work and everyone else's ideas were drastically different.

Nodding, Mutsu smiled and turned to the Americans. "Well, the computer's yours."

Northampton gulped. She assumed Mutsu hadn't told New Jersey about Shaw's death. Knowing Jer, she would probably act cool at first, then chew Northampton out once they were face to face. If she didn't tell Jer right away, she would ask about Shaw, and then Northampton would have to break it to her the hard way, which would only make Northampton's life harder when she made it home. Sighing, she looked at Mutsu, nodded, and sat down in front of the computer. Shaking the mouse to find the cursor, Northampton hit the video call button, and a moment later, she was greeted by Jersey's face. To Northampton's relief, she didn't look upset. If anything, Jer looked tired, and maybe even concerned. At first, neither of them spoke. Northampton tried to read Jer's face, but she had a good poker face. Not a few girls had learned this the hard way. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Northampton opened her mouth, but Jer beat her to it.

"Northampton, you're alive." Jer's voice was warm and soothing, despite her expression still mostly unchanging. "You have no idea how relieved I am-no, how relieved we _all_ are. I would be lying if I was to say that nearly everyone here has been worried about you."

Any concerns Northampton had harbored about New Jersey's reaction were dissipated when she saw the first tear slide down Jer's face. Her voice cracking, Northampton forced a smile and nodded. "Yes Jer. I'm alive." Despite Northampton's attempt, a positive reaction failed, and Jer, ever observant, picked up on the blonde's demeanor.

"What's wrong, North? Everyone else is fine too, right?" The worry and care in Jer's voice was too much for Northampton to bear, and she looked over towards the rest of her fleet, who had been listening as intently as they could. All had long faces, and Shaw was fighting tears.

Clenching her fist to keep from crying, Northampton beckoned the others over. As they stood behind her, Northampton could feel Jer looking them all over, and her face relaxed for a moment, upon realising the others were also okay.

"I'm missing something here," Jer frowned. "Everyone else-" her eyes widened, and she clenched her fist. "Where's Mahan?"

Northampton said nothing; it was taking everything she had to hold back the sob building in her throat. Shaw wasn't as successful. She held for a moment, then her dam broke. Barely able to speak, she managed to get "gone" out before turning and burying herself in Maury's shoulder. Maury said nothing, only rubbing Shaw's back and holding her while the brunette's whole body heaved with sobs, her face a river of tears. Unable to meet Jer's eyes. Once Shaw broke, the others went like dominos. Maury, her shirt dampened by Shaw's tears, also began crying. O'Bannon only managed to not break down by crushing her potato in her fist, but her eyes shone with tears nevertheless.

Forcing herself to meet Jer's gaze, Northampton only whispered, "Abyssal action", before she steeled herself and rose to comfort the others. Still in disbelief, Jer was only able to watch while Northampton pulled the destroyers into a hug and let the tears come. She only then noticed Mutsu had gone, and was thankful for her allowing them to have their moment in private.

Northampton gave Shaw one final squeeze, before turning back to face Jer again. "We'll try to discuss more in a bit. I'm gonna put these three to bed for a bit. They need it."

Jer didn't immediately respond. As Northampton looked over, ready to end the video call, her eyes widened again. Jer was crying. Pursing her lips, Northampton turned to the screen and whispered that she'd be right back, and hurried out to find Tenryuu and Mutsu.

Tenryuu, it turned out, had expected such a situation and was already waiting for Northampton to bring her destroyers out. "Emotions take over?"

Sighing, Northampton nodded. "Watch them for a bit will you? Make sure they get some rest. I have to talk to Jer a bit more. Fill her in."

Tenryuu raised an eyebrow. "On what happened to Mahan?"

Northampton nodded. "She'll need to know everything." The blonde shook her neck, trying to relax some of the tension.

Tenryuu paused for a minute, before she grinned. "Well I'll join you then. If you're gonna explain to New Jersey what happened to Mahan, well, the same thing happened to me, remember?"

As Tatsuta and Mutsu walked over to see what Tenryuu and Northampton were talking about, Tenryuu turned to Mutsu and waved her over. "Hey Mutsu, Northampton was going to explain to Jer what happened to Mahan." Mutsu nodded. "So I was going to head back in with her and explain what happened to me as well. To support North's claim. That alright with you?" While she was asking a question, Tenryuu wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Turning to Northampton, Mutsu raised an eyebrow. "That alright with you?"

"It is. Honestly, I could use a second story to back me up." She blushed slightly. "It is pretty outlandish, even for Abyssals." Mutsu nodded. Without saying anything else, she shooed Tenryuu towards Northampton, while taking Maury's arm and leading them to the back room to get some needed rest.

Sensing the American's nervousness and worry, Tenryuu turned to Northampton, a questioning expression on her face. "Hey, you alright?" Tenryuu slid an arm around North's shoulders.

"I'll be fine. It's just that when she heard about it, Jer started crying. She pretty much never cries. So that struck me that she was so sad and upset by Mahan's death, even though she wasn't here to see what happened, or say goodbye."

"I understand. We'll get some answers. Make 'em pay. You'll be fine." Despite Tenryuu's positive outlook, Northampton knew she wouldn't forgive herself for some time.

"Let's go try to explain to Jer what happened to you, and see if there are more similarities than either of us have noticed." Northampton straightened, forcing a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

New Jersey was conflicted. While nothing she had seen so far from Northampton pointed to anything amiss, she was still wary of these foreign girls, especially since her Mahan was now dead after being cared for at their district. While she waited for Northampton to return, she decided to find her sisters and break the news to them. Shaking her head, Jer tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Northampton's task force was mostly still alive and well.

Reaching for her phone, she found a text from Enterprise. _Hey Jer, you around? I'm heading over to the strip with Iowa and Tennessee. They bet on a race. Join us?_ Jer sighed. She could never understand those two, and their obsession with drag racing. Regardless of their plans for the evening, they would have to wait. Quickly, she shot Enterprise a text back, _Can't. Have some news on Northampton. Find Iowa Wisconsin Pennsylvania and Louisiana. My office in 10._

Despite herself, she found a smile breaking when she imagined Enterprise's reaction. A moment later, her suspicions were confirmed by the return text. _Northampton!? No way! We'll b right there._ Jer acknowledged her text, before stretching and looking around her office.

She sighed. Her office was large, but the clutter from the multiple bookshelves and three desks lined up in the far corner made it feel so small. Half the window was blocked by her drum set and guitar stand, as well as the fourth desk she used while playing. Frowning, Jer looked at the desk she used now, occupied by her computer, printer, and lamp. The piles of papers and used soda cans, as well as the dark wall, made for a dark corner to run Avalon from. Jer needed to do a remodel, but it seemed like every time she made an effort to clean up, something more important came up. Before Jer could think any more on the issue, a heavy pounding fell on her door.

"Enter," she said, trying not to sound too weary.

A moment later, Iowa burst through, followed by her sisters, Enterprise, and Louisiana. "Sis! You said something about Northampton? Is she okay?" Similar concerns came from the others.

Jer held up a hand. "Yes. I have news on Northampton. I will explain in a moment." She paused, and looked each of them in the eye. Her voice became more serious. "But there are a few things you need to know first."

"I don't like the sound of that," Enterprise said softly. "Is everyone else alright?"

Jer's face fell. "Mahan's dead." She paused, while the others gasped. Louisiana covered her mouth in shock. "Northampton, Shaw, and the others are currently at Yokosuka Naval District, and are being cared for. They are fine. In fact, I just finished a Skype call with Northampton. She's probably ready to resume our conversation, but there is one more thing you all should know." She looked Iowa and Enterprise over. "Neither of us have any idea what it was that injured Northampton and her fleet, or killed Mahan. It wasn't a normal Abyssal. So we're essentially blind going forward. I don't want to think it's anything too serious, but we can't be too careful now. Mahan is dead, possibly due to whatever this is."

Enterprise nodded. "This isn't the first time I've gone into something serious blind."

The gravity of what they were dealing with was starting to dawn, but Jer was hoping Northampton's explanation would shed _some_ light on the topic. "Yes, sadly that is true, but we will find out more." She paused, but decided to go ahead with her idea. The worst that would happen would be rejection. "However, there is something I would like to run by you four before I ask it of Mutsu."

"What'cha got Jer?" Enterprise looked up, her red eyes curious.

"It sounds like someone on the Japanese side may have run into something similar to what Northampton had. If this turns out to be true, I would like to propose an exchange program and invite some of the Japanese girls here for a period of time, should they prove trustworthy and willing." Jer looked around, trying to gauge the reactions of the others.

"I don't see why not," Enterprise said after a moment. "If anything, it'll be good PR, as well as building good international relationships, and securing allies should the war escalate." Looking around, Enterprise saw the others nodding in agreement.

"No complaints here," Iowa said. She looked a bit relieved, but also nervous. "As long as they prove to be trustworthy. That is the only issue I would really have."

Nodding slowly, Jer turned back to her computer. "Well, I am gonna get back to Northampton. If any of you wish to stay and speak to her as well, you may do so." She looked around. "Enterprise? Iowa?"

Both had eager looks in their eyes. "Of course I wanna chat with Northampton! I haven't seen her in over two weeks," Enterprise was bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to contain her excitement.

Jer found herself smiling. Still, she was a bit worried, as she had no idea what to expect when she spoke with Northampton again, nor did she have any idea who this other girl Northampton claimed had experienced similar events actually was, or even if she was willing to cooperate.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let's see what Northampton's up too," Sitting down in front of her computer, Jer reached around to pull up chairs for Iowa and Enterprise, and initiated a video call.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Are you okay with this?" Eyebrows furrowed, Northampton looked at Tenryuu. The purple-haired girl crossed her arms across her chest.

Cocking an eyebrow at Northampton, Tenryuu nodded. "If I don't tell others about what happened to me, then it may take much longer for anyone to figure out what happened to either of us." She sighed, trying to collect her thoughts. "We'll see what Jer says, and if this whole 'exchange program' idea has any potential to work."

Northampton nodded. "Well let's go talk to Jer and see what she wants to do." She stretched. "We'll try to explain what both of us saw, and that will be that."

Even though Northampton was a close friend, an air of thick tension hung over Jer's office. None of them had seen Northampton in over a week and a half, and the fact that she had spent a week at a Japanese naval base only heightened the tension. Even though Iowa had worked with Northampton in the past, and counted her a personal friend, she could read the tension in everyone's eyes. Enterprise's eyes, normally a light, warm red, seemed to take on a ruby red tint. Iowa noticed Jer's hand tense on her computer mouse, and Louisiana clenched her fist.

"Hey, uh, guys? What's the tension here?" Although it sounded naive, Iowa knew she had to say something to lighten the mood. "If we look all tense and worried, then what's Northampton supposed to think?"

Blinking, Jer turned to her sister. "I'm relieved she's okay. I'm just concerned about what happened to Mahan." Turning to the other battleships with her, Jer locked eyes with each of them in turn. "Since she headed to that Japanese base, Mahan is now dead. That is what I'm worried about. Why does one of my girls go out on a mission, get injured, get found by a Japanese fleet, get brought back to their base, then ends up dead soon after." Jer sighed. "Maybe I'm thinking into this too much, but something here sounds fishy."

Enterprise, standing off to the far side of Louisiana, was still struggling to understand where Jer's hostility was coming from. "Hey, Jer?"

"Yeah E?" Jer seemed tired as well as irritated.

"If I may speak freely, I think you're overreacting to something that's not worth getting all upset before you've heard the other side of the story. One thing you always said was that someone should always hear both sides out before judging someone or something." Frowning, she walked up to Jer, red eyes locking with deep blue. "I would advise you to think rationally and allow the others to explain their side of the story. Earlier you were all for an exchange program. Now what changed your mind?"

For what seemed like a minute, Jer held Enterprise's gaze. FInally, she dropped Her eyes. "You're right. I am overthinking a bit." She sighed. "We'll try to be more open minded here. I'm just thinking of the fact that Mahan is dead, after being at their base." Jer met Enterprise's gaze again. The red-eyed girl held her boss's stare. Jer's expression softened. "However, I would rather you do most of the talking, unless it's a question that I must answer."

"Fine by me," Enterprise looked relieved. She turned to the others, who had watched the exchange in silence. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Jer muttered something about her job and opened Skype once more. "Here goes nothing." She opened the call.

"Well, hopefully there won't be too much pushback from across the pond." Mutsu stood with Nagato, Tenryuu, Tatsuta, as well as Northampton and her destroyer brood. She was sitting at her computer, while the others stood around her. It would be best for her to things the formal way, rather than being relaxed. With this much riding on successful formal communication, Mutsu and Tenryuu had decided to do things the proper way.

"Well at the least, we'll explain what happened to you, Tenryuu, and I'll explain what happened to Mahan, at least as well as I can," Northampton seemed quite relieved, almost happy. She was smiling now, and walked with much more energy. "If Jer can see that all the rest of us are fine, then she should be fine with a exchange program."

"Let's hope," Nagato whispered. "If I'm to be totally honest, I'm getting a bit concerned." At the questioning looks, she elaborated. "We hadn't seen this at all in the nearly 10 years of operation. Then all of a sudden, Tenryuu gets attacked. Out of the blue." She turned to the Americans. "Then we run into you guys. And your whole fleet is beat up. As soon as you come back here, Mahan goes down." Nagato looked over at Mutsu, who was waiting for her sister to finish her explanation. "If you wanna have them call now, I can wait and explain the rest when we're discussing that stuff."

Nodding, Mutsu turned to her computer. Just as she was about to open a line, a call came for her, and looking around at the others, took it.

After a moment, she found herself staring once again at the American battleship. Nagato eyed her warily, while Northampton simply smiled and waited for her to speak.

Breaking the slightly awkward silence, Jer addressed Northampton first. "Hello again, North. I trust you are well?"

Face somewhat stoic, Northampton nodded, saying nothing. "Good," Jer went on. She turned to Mutsu. "I believe I don't know everyone here. Care to introduce me?"

Mutsu's eyes widened. "I do apologize. My bad." Turning to each in turn, she addressed Mutsu. "This is my sister, Nagato. Also here is light cruiser Tenryuu and her sister, Tatsuta." Each in turn nodded as they were addressed.

Jer nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting." Turning to those gathered with her, she did her own introductions. "For those of you who don't know me, I am New Jersey. You can call me Jer. With me today are my sisters Iowa and Wisconsin, as well as battleship Louisiana." Each nodded as Jer said their names. "Last but not at all least, aircraft carrier Enterprise." Jer couldn't help but hide a slight smirk as nearly all the Japanese girls recoiled at that name.

Forcing a shy smile, the small red-eyed girl standing off to the side of the camera looked up at the others and waved. "H-hi guys," she said her face flushing.

Mutsu and Nagato managed to recover and forced their own smiles. "Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Northampton has said much about you, Jer. Anyway, I believe that you have much to discuss with Northampton and Tenryuu. Let's not keep them waiting."

After taking a drink of water and handing to bottle to Iowa, who set it out of sight, Jer faced Mutsu again. "This I can agree to. The quicker these issues get resolved, the better. For both of us." She smiled. Standing, Mutsu returned the gesture, before allowing Tenryuu and Northampton to take the camera.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As Jer waited for Northampton and Tenryuu to get situated, the blonde battleship spun around in her chair, facing her sisters. "What's your opinion on all this?"

Missouri clasped her hands together. "I feel like we should trust them. And maybe it's just me, but something feels off about it. But we should still try to move forward cause it means we may find out what happened to Northampton."

Jer nodded. "Wisconsin?"

The soft spoken younger sister met Jer's eyes briefly. "Um, yeah. Go for it. We should try to help them as much as we can." Wisconsin flushed, and sat down. Enterprise patted her head briefly.

Nodding, Jer turned back to face Tenryuu and Northampton. As she watched, Tenryuu pulled up a second chair for herself, having given her's to the blonde. "So what's the story with you two?"

Glancing briefly at Tenryuu, Northampton shrugged. "I guess either of us can start, right?"

"I probably should. Simply because I'm a familiar face," Northampton smiled, and put a hand briefly on Tenryuu's shoulder.

The purple-haired girl nodded and turned to face Jer's image.

"You remember the weather before we left on that mission, right?" Northampton asked.

"It'll be hard to forget that one anytime soon," Jer said quickly. Around her, nearly everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I've seen storms before, but this one took the prize. The waters near Avalon were a lake compared to the open ocean. Trust me this was worse than Cobra. Way worse."

At that, nearly every girl in Jer's office snapped to face her. "Wait what?"

"Yeah. No sooner had the lights of Avalon faded then I could hardly see fifteen feet in front of me. We were all holding hands to keep from being seperated in the storm, but those waves…" Northampton paused to gather her thoughts.

"I have no idea how long we essentially just rode the storm. I spent most of the time locked in irons, as did everyone else, so if we didn't fight it, we didn't get too tired out. But we couldn't see anything. After a while, the storm began to subside to a point, but it was still hard sailing. However, I was able to figure out where I was. For all the good it did us. Storm had destroyed our radio, which is why we never contacted you."

Enterprise frowned. "I should have gone out."

"What do you mean?" Northampton asked, concern on her face.

Looking slightly ashamed, Enterprise looked up at Northampton. "Since we hadn't heard from you in so long, I was gonna go out with Chester, Louisville, and Phoenix to try to find you guys…" Her voice trailed off. "I should have...should have gone…"

Seeing Enterprise so up, Northampton frowned. "E. E. Nothing that happened to me is your fault. I hold nothing against you, or anyone else."

Seeing Northampton's plight, Tenryuu decided to try to offer her opinion. "Now I don't know the circumstances that led to this incident over there, but if whatever attacked Northampton is the same thing that I ran into last year, then this isn't something can be fought with force."

Jer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" While Tenryuu didn't think Jer was hostile, she was definitely being much less welcoming. Under the circumstances, however, it wasn't a huge surprise.

"What I'm saying is that we should try to figure out what we're dealing with and try to get more info before taking any kinda of action here." Holding Jer's cold gaze, Tenryuu waited. She knew what she'd seen, and she was certain Northampton had run into something similar.

"What do you propose then?" Jer met Tenryuu's gaze her her own, piercing blue eyes locking with purple.

"An exchange program," Tenryuu said, her voice even and low. As Tenryuu's words struck home, Enterprise's eyes widened.

"Are you sure about that?" And why should I agree to it?"Jer's voice was still hostile, but she did seem to be slightly more open to this idea. Before Tenryu could give her any sort of answer, she was interrupted by the door to the office opening. Turning, she found Mutsu waiting for her. Without saying anything, Mutsu nodded, indicating the screen.

Turning back to Jer, Tenryuu nodded. "I am sure. For several reasons. One, we know we need all the allies we can get in this war. Having our flanks protected is key. Plus, the better our international relations are, the better off we'll both be." She paused, allowing what she'd said to have its effect.

Jer, despite whatever she would have liked to think, knew that Tenryuu had a point. She heard the murmurs of assent from those with her. Sighing, Jer faced Tenryuu and Northampton, a small smile finally forcing its way onto her face. "North, what's your opinion on this idea?"

Northampton smiled. "As new as all this info is to me, and despite the loss of Mahan, or perhaps because of it, I really do think that we need to do something to improve relations between us. I have had no problems here interacting with Tenryuu or Mutsu or any of the others."

She indicated Tenryuu and waved her hand around, nearly smacking Shaw, who yelped and jumped back. "Oh damn. Sorry Shaw," Northampton appoligized. Waving Northampton off, the small brunette stepped back and rested her head on O'Bannon's shoulder. Turning back to Jer, Northampton took a deep breath and eyed her commander. "So yes, Jer, I think that we should at least attempt to work out an exchange program, for many the same reasons Tenryuu mentioned. What do we have to really lose?"

As Jer listened to Tenryuu and Northampton's explanations and opinions, she could hear Enterprise and Iowa talking. In fact, it seemed that everyone else was talking amongst themselves now. "Hold on a sec Northampton," Jer said quickly.

As she spun around to see what the fuss was about, Louisiana faced Jer. "We've been hearing your conversation. We agree that something should be tried. We do need allies, just ask Arizona. Even she's getting worked up about the fight. When she gets involved, you know it's getting serious. Plus, Narwal and Bats and the other subs are exhausted from doing constant patrols. That shouldn't been their job." She turned to Iowa and Wisconsin, who nodded in agreement. "Even you can't deny that there's more Abyssal activity than ever before. You said that you wished we had more manpower. Well, now it's being offered. I'd advise you to take it."

Jer bowed her head. "Yes, you have a point. Fine." Fighting a slight blush, she glanced at her sisters. They nodded in simple agreement. Smiling and slightly embarrassed, Jer Turned back to the screen. "Tenryuu, we'll go for it. I would like to confirm this with Mutsu as well, as she is your commander."

Tenryuu heaved a sigh of relief, and Northampton smiled. "I'll be right back, then." Tenryuu hurried out to find Mutsu, while Northampton eyed Jer.

"So you saw sense, eh?" While she wasn't being condescending, Northampton knew that Jer hadn't thought everything thorough.

Smiling sheepishly, Jer met Northampton's eyes. "Yes. We need the help in more ways than one. Hopefully you guys can put together a decent fleet and we'll see you within a few days." She paused as the door opened and Tenryuu entered, followed by Mutsu. As Mutsu took a seat alongside Tenryuu and Northampton, Jer addressed the two newcomers. "As I was just explaining to Northampton, and this depends on your capability, but if it works for you, I would propose assembling a decent fleet that would be able to be self-sufficient and head over to Avalon." She paused to let Mutsu think about her idea, before going on. "We'll cover costs of food and possible damages, as part of our way to say thank you. Furthermore, we'll meet you halfway, near Midway Island."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Morning came too early the next day for many of the district's girls, as Mutsu had ordered all alarms set for 0530 in order to begin preparations. She was up an hour earlier in order to already be working on preparations. As soon as the video call with Jer was over, Mutsu and Northampton had made an announcement to the entire base, explaining their plan, which was well received. She also explained the new schedule, which was much less enthusiastically welcomed. Yawning, Mutsu forced herself out of bed, lightly smacked her sister Nagato with her pillow, before getting dressed for the day and heading out to oversee today's preparations to leave.

"I'll have to find Northampton first, then we can begin figuring out who we're gonna bring. We'll need a sizeable fleet, but not too many. Jer said we were limited to 25, so we'll have to be conservative." As Mutsu hurried down to Mamiya's to grab a quick cup of coffee, she ran through a potential list of who could go. Mutsu didn't see the smaller blonde also reaching for the door, sleep clinging to Northampton as well.

"Ah!" Northampton jumped, her eyes going wide. "Oh, Mutsu. Hey. What brings you here?"

"Coffee."

"Great minds think alike," Northampton murmured. "Join me?"

"I was actually looking for you. Yeah sure, I have ideas to run by you," Mutsu ushered Northampton inside, while ordering two coffees from Mamiya.

Northampton led her to a corner booth out of the way. "So whatcha got?"

Yawning again, Mutsu slid in across from the American. "So we've got 25 slots to fill, and need to be well-rounded and able to function their our own. That means a mixture of all types."

Nodding thoughtfully, the tired blonde reached into her pocket. "I actually had similar thoughts last night. I wrote up these for you." She slid a few papers across the table.

Smiling, Mutsu leafed through them. "So you want more small ships than capital ships? Seems kinda opposite from the detail that they have to be self-sufficient."

"Yes I did think about that, but I have confidence in your ships. However, yes. We need more destroyers and cruisers than capital ships. The more cruisers and destroyers you can spare, the better." Northampton looked up as Mamiya brought their coffees over. "Awesome thanks. I need this."

Mutsu leaned back, stretching. "Okay, so how about this?" She flipped the paper over, pulled a pencil out of her pocket, and wrote out a list. "We'll bring ten destroyers, ten cruisers, three carriers, and two battleships."

Smiling, Northampton stood up and walked around the table. She slid in beside Mutsu and moved the paper so she could see better. "I like how you think. Any ideas on who, exactly?"

Flushing slightly, Mutsu nodded. "I-I had a few ideas. For the battleships, I was thinking of Nagato and Kongou. Carriers would be Hiryuu, Taiho, and Shokaku. As for the cruisers, I'm not entirely sure, besides Tenryuu and her sister. We'll want fast escorts though, so probably Kako and Furutaka, as well as Atago, Ashigara, and Maya." She paused, doing the math. "That's, uh, seven. We'll also bring the three Sendai sisters. We could probably all use the comedy relief they can provide."

Northampton nodded. "Sounds good to me. What about destroyers?"

"Ah, destroyers. Hmm. Again, I wasn't exactly sure here. I was thinking of Yuudachi, Hibiki, Akizuki, Hatsuzuki, Shimakaze, and Yuugumo." Other than that, it's just pulling names out of a hat." She sighed. "Kuroshiro. Asashio. Hatsushimo."

Groaning, Mutsu leaned back in her seat. Northampton put an arm around her shoulders. "You okay?"

Mutsu nodded. "Just tired. Thinking a bit too much. But it's alright now. I had some coffee. How about we get some food before seeing to everyone else?" She glanced at her watch. "It's five of. We have a half hour."

Waving Mamiya over, Northampton nodded while downing the last bit of her coffee.

As Northampton and Mutsu made their way up to the stage in front of the former dorm-turned-dance hall, they could hear all the yawns and suppressed groans of tiredness. A few calls came from somewhere in the crowd, but neither girl took note of them. As Mutsu picked up the microphone, the crowd hushed.

"I know you're all tired and asking why I have you up this early. You were told that, after my discussion yesterday with American Battleship New Jersey that we had about a week to prepare for our mission. However, things have gone south since then, badly south." She paused and several gasps came from the crowd, and from Northampton. "Calm down, panicking will do nothing to help. Last night I received a message from Jer, explaining that a few ships she had sent out on a routine patrol had been attacked. While this wouldn't usually constitute any undue alarm, all of the ships, while none we lost, all exhibited some sort of damage similar to what Northampton and her fleet ran into."

As the gravity of what Mutsu had said sunk in, Northampton choked back a sob, and many others began shouting questions. Mutsu held up a hand. "Now, before you all ask questions, allow me to go on. Jer made it clear that I only explain this in front of everyone, so as to not spread rumors or false beliefs. All this now means that we don't have a week. We are leaving tomorrow. At 0600." She paused and took a quick glance at Northampton, who looked even paler than normal. "As for those who will be going, there are 25 slots, all of which have already been decided. I will call them up now, then explain what needs to be done in order to prepare." She stepped back, pulled out a piece of paper, and turned slightly to the side again. We will be taking three carriers-Hiryuu, Taiho, and Shokaku, and two battleships-Nagato and Kongou. These will form the core of the fleet. As for escorts, they will have ten cruisers and ten destroyers. Furutaka, Kako, Tenryuu, Tatsuta, Atago, Ashigara, Maya, Sendai, Naka, and Jintsuu." Mutsu cleared her throat. "As for the destroyers, Yuudachi, Hibiki, Akizuki, Hatsuzuki, Shimakaze, Yuugumo, Kuroshiro, Asashio, and Hatsushimo."

As the 25 girls assembled on the stage, Northampton took the mic from Mutsu. "I am aware of the suddenness of this operation. However, given not only what happened to my fleet, but what I just learned from Mutsu now, we need to move quickly. Jer has already agreed to not only cover all costs involved, but to also meet us near Midway Island to escort the fleet back to Avalon." She paused. "I know that 25 is not a large fleet, especially given what we may be facing is not well known. However, I have faith in these girls, and I trust that you will all do your best. We don't have the facilities to support more than 25-30 more girls, but we're doing what we can." Northampton forced a smile and stepped back.

"Almost all of you were here last year when Bismarck led a fleet to rescue Mamiya. Those who are new, ask those around you to fill you in when the time is appropriate." Mutsu paused, as a bout of cheers came from the crowd at the memory. "You remember the preparations for that mission. We have to do the same thing again. However, this mission will not only last longer, but there is now a very real threat to your lives. So make sure that everything is in tip-top shape, and has been double and triple-checked. It's almost seven, so we need to get moving. There's a lot to do. The rest of the day will look like this. You will all divide up into groups to assist the girls who are leaving in preparing their equipment, as well as stocking extra supplies. Carriers help carriers, battleships help battleships, and so on. After all the equipment is ready, you will _all_ join myself, Northampton, and Tenryuu back here for a briefing of what we do know. Then it's to bed early, as the fleet will be getting up at 0430 in order to eat a good breakfast and have time to say goodbyes before setting off at 0600 tomorrow."

Again, Mutsu paused to clear her throat. "Okay enough talk. Let's get going. Be ready to work as soon as you get your breakfast. Make it quick. Dismissed."

As Mutsu put back the mic and heaved a sigh of relief, Northampton was already talking to those assembled on stage. Hiryuu waved Mutsu over. "One thing you didn't make clear is who's gonna be in charge of the fleet overall. That's gonna be huge in terms of how this whole operation pans out." The orange-clad girl glanced at the other capital ships with her. Any nominations?"

Nagato smiled. "I was thinking you would lead." Kongou and Taiho nodded in agreement. Shokaku patted Hiryuu on the shoulder.

Hiryuu paused for a moment, then grinned. "I accept. Now let's get going."


	11. Chapter 11

I apologize for the lack of updates recently. Besides having holiday life going on, I haven't had much inspiration to write much recently. I'm not giving up on these fics, I have too much invested in them to give up now.

I'll be back as soon as I get some good inspiration. PM me with any questions or helpful ideas on how t go forward...I think I'm gonna need it.

Thanks, Ashigara's Wolf


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The following morning, New Jersey publicly announced the news to the rest of the base, and many had come forward with questions of when she would be home. Jer had explained that Northampton and her fleet, minus Mahan, would be returning within a week. Details of the circumstances surrounding Mahan's death, and the fate that had befallen Northampton's entire fleet were few, and all anyone had to go on were North's own explanations, and those of Tenryuu. Now, as she finished up her speech, New Jersey knew there was a lot riding on her shoulders, and on those who she had in mind.

As Jer walked back towards her office down the base's main road, a voice called her attention, and she turned to see Pennsylvania hurrying up to catch her. "Oh Penn. I was just thinking about you. What's up?"

"Do you really intend to send a detachment from Pearl all the way to Midway, based off of one video call?" The tall, seemingly nerdy, yet also sharp-witted Standard eyed her commander sharply. "All we have to go on is one message from the Japanese, and North's message. Are you sure about this?"

New Jersey paused for a moment, then turned to face her friend and secretary. "Are those two reasons not enough? Yes, that isn't a lot, but it's more info than we had 24 hours ago, and I intend to capitalise on it. Nothing seemed fishy to either myself, nor Enterprise or any of the others." The tall girl paused, then sighed, tossing her waist-length blonde hair back over her shoulder and tucking a stray lock behind her right ear. She paused, before motioning to a bench on the sidewalk and inviting Penn to sit for a moment. "Your concerns are ones that have gone through my head as well. There is no _guarantee-_ ," Jer drew out the word, "of no attempts at foul play. However, that is a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of information and the chance to have Northampton back with us."

Jer paused, leaning back on the bench and crossing her legs. The late morning sunlight reflected off the waters nearby, and off the big signs and light stands at the base's dragstrip. Distant laughter and cheers could be heard from the pits, and a faint, rare smile crept its way onto Jer's face. Pennsylvania opened her mouth, but Jer beat her to it. "Does it not look peaceful here? Relaxing?"

Pennsylvania followed her commander's gaze, and took in the scenery and laughter. The scream of an engine cut through the tranquility, and a cloud of black smoke rose from the compound. Pennsylvania chuckled slightly. "If one can call _that_ peaceful, yes. How Chester finds that stuff fun, however, I have no idea."

Jer smirked. "If memory serves, Tennessee mentioned a while back that she caught you eyeing both her and Chester's rigs quite enviously." A sputter from the usually stoic older girl was enough for Jer to snicker quietly and nod. "That tells me all I need to know. I'm sure she would be willing to offer some tips should you ever be so inclined." She paused, to allow Penn to force the blush off her face and gather her words.

"Yes, thank you, Jer. I shall keep it in mind." Penn removed her glasses, wiped them on her sleeve, and tried to focus again. Speaking carefully, with forced calm, she went on. "But yes, I do find Pearl quite relaxing, if a bit crazy at times. It's not home, and I do miss the mainland, but I can't complain about the facilities here. The people here are nice, and it's somewhere I can feel comfortable and calm." Pennsylvania paused, and turned to face Jer. "Where are you going with all this, though?"

"How much real success have we had in the past two years in this war, Penn?"

Pennsylvania's head snapped around. "What do you mean? We've had many success here. The abyssals have attacked here how many times? And we've beaten them off every time! Even when we were outnumbered." Getting worked up now, Penn went on. "And we lost no one! No one. Until Shaw. We've helped clear the sea lanes in the surrounding waters. And kept the transports going back and forth to the mainland safe!" She finally paused. "What do you mean, 'how much success have we had?'"

Jer said nothing for a moment. She leaned forward and folded her hands, staring out over the training fields that backed up to the mountains. She sighed. Her face, although always beset with lines or worry and stress of running a naval base, took on even more lines as she sat there. "What do we know about the abbsyals we face? What motivates them? Where do they come from? Do they have a leader, or any sort of chain of command? Are we really able to kill them off?"

Penn sat, dumbfounded for a moment, unable to formulate a decent response. "I d-don't know, honestly."

Jer nodded. "We really don't know much at all. And if we don't learn, or figure something out soon, we will eventually be driven out. Or our luck will run dry, and we will begin taking more losses. Mahan may only be the tip of the proverbial iceberg here." Sighing again, Jer stood. "Follow me to my office, there's a few things I'd like your help with."

Confused, Pennsy rose and followed Jer. "are you sure you want me to help? I'm sure New York would be better at this stuff than me…"

"Sadly, she is unavailable. Red tape kept her in Frisco another week. Otherwise she'd be on her way here now." Jer sighed.

Pursing her lips, Pennsy nodded. "Very well. I'll see what I can do. I don't do a lot of studying to end up useless when asked, after all." She paused, then glanced back towards the complex of dorms and shops. It was surprisingly quiet. Most of the noise seemed to come from the concert hall, at the far end of the main road leading into the center of the base.

"Strange how quiet it is. Usually there's someone around, but everyone's either at the strip or the concert hall."

"Well Okie and Tennessee are performing tonight. Some covers of songs they liked, if what Wisky said was accurate."

"You sound like you wanna be there, Jer…" Penn said.

Jer nodded. "I would, but you and I have things we must discuss first. If there's time when we're done and they're still performing I may go down afterwards."

The two turned the corner and both battleships became very grateful for the trees planted along the side road. Open fields made for good visibility and ease of practice, but the Pacific heat was brutal during the afternoon and early evening. As the long shadows cut across the fields and road, the light breeze and shade was welcomed.

Penn followed Jer to the small building at the end of a cul-de-sac. Plain looking, with a pair of trees and bushes on either side of the two-story, Jer's office could have passed for a storage shed, or small classroom if not for the sin out front.

"Are you ever gonna dress this place up, Jer?" Penn teased.

"Eventually, if I can be bothered to clean up the inside first." Unlocking the door, Jer pushed her way inside. The same mess greeted her eyes, papers everywhere on both desks, coffee cups lying on their sides, boxes of reports scattered about. Both of Jer's computers were running screensavers, screes askew. Groaning, the tall blonde made a half-hearted attempt to straighten things up, but ended up collapsing into a chair behind her main work desk.

Pennsylvania dropped into a chair opposite her commander and glanced around.

"You really should have Nevada or Arizona come in here and help you straighten up. It would do us all some good."

"I know, I know." Jer sighed in defeat. "I'm just too busy often to ask them when I think about it, and when I do see them, I've forgotten. I'll get there."

"Uh huh," Penn murmured. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Jer pushed some of the piles of papers off to one side of her desk. Reaching down, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a can of root beer. "Drink?"

"Mountain Dew. You like that desk cooler, eh?" Penn said with a slight laugh.

"Yes I do. It was a very nice Christmas present from Iowa." Leaning forward, Jer slid a piece of paper towards her. "These are who I had in mind to take to Midway. I need to narrow it down from the twenty or so I have to eight-three battleships, five cruisers.

Penn took the list and skimmed it. "Yourself, Iowa, Louisiana, Chicago, Louisville, St, Louis, Helena, Houston."

Jer's eyes widened. "How do you know they are the best?"

"The three battleships are enough to make a statement, without appearing too aggressive. Which is why I left Mo out." Penn leaned back, pushing her glasses up on her nose. "As for the cruisers, you picked the right number. None of them have too much _history_ with anyone on the Japanese side, which should keep conflict down. Louisville is reserved enough to not say anything rash, and while Chicago did have her issues in the past with the IJN, I trust her and her judgment enough to believe she won't lose her cool. The same can be said for the others."

Penn leaned forward again and pushed the list back across to Jer, smiling slightly. You picked well, Jer. I wouldn't worry about anything here."

Jer looked at the clock. "It's only 1730?"

Penn nooded. "Yep. It's that time of year where it gets dark really late. Another reason I'm not a fan of July."

Jer smirked. "If you say so. I know the racers like it. They don't have to use the spotlights as much. And can stay at the pulling course longer. Jer pushed back from her desk and threw her can in the trash. Grabbing another from the drawer, she turned once again to Penn. "So, since we now know who we're bringing, the question is, how soon should we leave? Today is Thursday. I was planning on Monday morning, something I will communicate to Northampton and Mutsu. Yet is that too long to wait? What if something happens between now and then?"

"Another Mountain Dew, Jer?" The drink was passed up, and the older battleship went on. "Nearly everyone who we've agreed on is otherwise occupied tonight, and it's late. I don't believe there's any harm in waiting till tomorrow morning to think more on the matter-North's not in danger, and it is later. Why not let everyone enjoy tonight, and reach out to them tomorrow? You said yourself you wanted to see Okie and Tennessee's concert tonight…"

"You have a point," Jer conceded. "I'll wait till tomorrow, but I'll let everyone know tonight that we need a meeting tomorrow at 0800 sharp. While there isn't a huge rush, we can't wait around. Tomorrow morning I'll go over again what we know, and then discuss when we should leave. I was told that Northampton would be leaving tomorrow, so that means we have to leave by Saturday at the latest."

"I agree. If it were me, I would leave Saturday, leaving tomorrow to prepare. Sunday at the latest we need to be out of here. I'll call everyone in tomorrow." Turning to her computer, Jer began to type a mass email out to everyone going.

"All,

Preparations for the mission to Midway are nearly finalised. You are receiving this email because you have been selected to go. A meeting is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 0800. Attendance is required. Details such as time, further prep, and what to bring will be discussed then. Enjoy the rest of tonight, yet make sure you are in my office by 0800 sharp.

Enjoy the rest of the night.

Jer

USS New Jersey

Commander, Pearl Harbor Naval District

Waving Penn over, Jer had her skim the email, before sending it. Looks good." Penn downed her drink, then walked back around the desk and pushed in the chair.

"Thank you." the tall blonde also stood, stretched, and made her way towards the door. "Now, I intend to find out why everyone enjoys Okie and Tennessee's concerts so much. You may join me if you wish, or you are free to do as you please. We're done for tonight here."

Penn thought for a moment, then sighed. "Oh, what the heck, I'll come down with you. I don't feel like doing anything in my dorm tonight. With my luck, I wouldn't even make it that far without running into Chester or Pheonix, and they'd drag me down to the track. I'll go with you."

Hearing this, Jer snickered. "You make it sound like you would be _upset_ being dragged out there by Chester…" Her voice trailed off, and Penn's choked and sputtered protests confirmed Jer's assumption. "Thought so."

Penn huffed. "Didn't you want to go to that concert? Stop poking fun at me."

Another snicker. "If you say so."

 **A/N: I live. This past almost year has been crazy, and my drive to write has been non-existent. But here's the next chapter. I should be able to keep writing now, just not as regularly. Thanks!**


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